@loopop Does it Again: Loopop’s Take on Donner Essential L1 vs Roland Heavyweights

The Essential L1 is Donner’s attempt to capture the magic of the Roland SH-101 in a new, affordable package. Like mixtapes swapped under streetlights, this mono-synth channels those vintage vibes with an analog signal path based on chip clones of its predecessor. With modern features like MIDI connectivity and being a standalone desktop module that doubles up with a keyboard via magnets, it’s ticking all the boxes for today’s synth-heads.

@loopop brings the L1 to the ring against Roland’s own contenders SH-101 and S-1. It’s not just about looks; it’s all in the sound and build. The L1 stretches those octaves like a DJ stretching beats and offers new capabilities such as a triangle waveform and external audio inputs. We get down to the nitty-gritty, like the difference in brightness of those sawtooth and square oscillators. Is the pulse width a little too wide? Well, grab a sticker because it’s all in the details.

Loopop keeps it real, laying out the pros and cons like tarot cards at a downtown fair. The L1 delivers a great sound, sticking close to its SH roots and even adding a few new flavors. But street jams aside, there are hardware niggles and firmware quirks that might need some future updates. Don’t sweat it, though; even kings of the urban landscape had their teething problems.